International student’s Humble experience

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Published: 06 November 2011

I am an exchange student. How do you know what is a dream if you never accomplished one? How do you know what is an adventure if you never took part in one? How do you know what is anguish if you never said goodbye to your family and friends with your eyes full of tears? How do you know what is being desperate if you never arrived in a place alone and could not understand a word of what everyone else was saying? How do you know what is diversity if you never lived under the same roof with people from all over the world? How do you know what is tolerance if you never had to get used to something different even if you didn’t like it. How do you know what it means to grow up if you never stopped being a child to start a new course? How do you know what is to be helpless if you never wanted to hug someone and had a computer screen to prevent you from doing it? How do you know what is distance if you never, looking at a map, said “I am so far away”? How do you know what is a language if you never had to learn one to make friends? How do you know what is an opportunity if you never caught one? How do you know what is pride if you never experienced it for yourself at realizing how much you have accomplished? How do you know what is a friend if the circumstances never showed you the true ones.
How do you know what is a family if you never had one that supported you unconditionally? How do you know what are borders if you never crossed yours to see what there was on the other side? How do you know the world if you have never been an exchange student?
Photo: Ivan Noah Yaszchuk Lozier of Argentina was welcomed to the United States by Jeff and Susie McFarland Aug. 12. His English was not very good when he arrived so the language adjustment period was difficult. But, with the help of neighbors, friends and electronic translators, he is becoming more comfortable with it. He is currently enrolled at Atascocita High School as a junior. He is doing well in his subjects and will finish secondary school when he returns to Argentina with focus on a career path through architecture or graphic art and design.